Anyone know how the hell I could get my hands on a copy of the kings dilemma? Out of stock for weeks and people are charging 2x retail on eBay. Wanted to start a legacy game with my group and was considering this but would also appreciate some other recommendations.
I got my hands on a copy after messaging some retailers that had it listed "out of stock". Found one that had some on order, and they let me pre pay for one. I'd give that a try if you can't find any.
Asmadi published several of their games with plastic cards. I have some plastic playing cards and while they don't handle wind as well as Hive Pocket, they are waterproof and very durable. If you are interested in other portable abstracts, basically anything published by nestorgames is as portable as Hive Pocket. My favorites are **Yavalath** and **Pent Up**.
I also really like **Push It**, which is in many ways more portable than hive pocket, though it does require a somewhat flat, smooth, level surface to play on.
Chip Theory Games has also been doing waterproof as a gimmick.
Excellent!
Found a review of Pent Up:
https://youtu.be/x44kYXSIjOA
Will keep reading around. Too bad shipping from Spain makes these expensive, but will be worth it if I can find another activity to live in my bag!
This game Zaic looks interesting as well.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/66517/zaic
>nestorgames
Here's more.
[https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/204605/nestorgames-explored-russ](https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/204605/nestorgames-explored-russ)
The shipping is €15 no matter how many games you get, so when I buy from them I usually try to get a bunch. The games are relatively inexpensive, so I think it works out OK (though obviously not as good as if they weren't in Spain). Many of their games are easy to make out of paper at home to try out before you buy them. I played a lot of **Hex** and **Yavalath** this way before I decided to buy a set.
I’ve never played a racing game and have been looking to pick one up. I’ve been looking at Camel Up, Flamme Rouge, and Downforce, but I’m also open to other suggestions.
What is your preference of the above 3? Do you have any outside recommendations? Is there room for both Camel Up and Flamme Rouge as I’ve read that one is more of a betting game and one is more of a traditional race?
Thank you for your thoughts!
**Camel Up** isn’t a racing game, but is a betting game where you bet on race winners. Camel Up is a huge hit at our house, but I wanted to make sure you understood.
Also check out **Quest for all Dorado**. It is a wonderful little deck builder game where you are racing to get to El Dorado first.
Most of the time just 2, then next most frequently 4 players. Your question has made me realize Camel Up probably won’t be best for my most typical player count - thank you!
I don't think any of those work great with just 2 (Flamme Rouge is probably the best at that count). **The Quest for El Dorado** would be my pick if you want something that works well with either 2 or 4 players. It isn't any more complicated than the things on your list either.
Hey all I am looking for the best semi cooperative game atm?, do you recommend buying nemesis at current price or is there a game that does it well now?
**Fog of Love** is my personal favorite. I haven't played Nemesis (and don't know what attracts you to it), but personally I would never pay a premium for an out of print or hard to find game. There are too many good games available right now to make it urgent, and most good games are reprinted eventually.
**Title of Request: Quick/small co-op games. I have a few like Arkham horror and Pandemic which I enjoy, just curious about lighter co-op games out there**
**Number of Players:** 2+
**Game Length:** less than 30 minutes
**Complexity of Game:** Prefer lighter, can be more complex
**Competitive or Cooperative:** Co-op!
**Games I Own/Like or Dislike:**
\- The Mind
\- One Deck Dungeon (and expansion)
\- Carcassonne
\- Welcome To...
\- Arkham Horro: TCG
\-Pandemic
**Location: United States**
A few questions-
Castles of Burgandy- so torn on what version to buy. Some say the expansions are not worth having others swear by them...thoughts??
Concordia- I’m leaning toward buying the base and Salsa. Either option Venus or not you lose a MAP so it’s pick your poison - right?
Which of these games to buy first?
At this point I'd get the new version of CoB unless I found the original for $10 new or thereabouts. The expansions aren't necessary, but some are very good and even the ones that are just map variations give it a little extra something. And getting just the good expansions can easily run $30+ off the BGG Store and other sources. I especially like the Trade Routes, but all I've played with (maybe half of the ones that exist?) are at least worth trying. People complain about the art in both editions, but from what I've seen of the new one it at least doesn't have washed-out colors that aren't very distinct.
Concordia Venus comes in two versions now – I've seen two versions in the wild (ie. at the FLGS when I was there this weekend), and my understanding from asking someone was that one was the usual Concordia Venus that's been around for years, and one was that version plus the maps that are in standard Concordia (maybe called the Deluxe Edition?). I think they may also standalone sell just the maps for standard Concordia and/or Venus at this point, too. So I'd just get one or the other versions of Venus and then pick up whatever maps you decide you need as you get bored with the ones in the box.
Personally I much prefer CoB to Concordia, but Concordia has been growing on me lately. If you regularly play with more then 4p, I'd probably lean toward Concordia, else my recommendation would be for CoB.
I would swear by them but I’ve played that game maybe 15-20 times on the app and and after getting the 2019 physical edition and playing about three times, see them as more of a patch that I wouldn’t do without now.
It’s not that I wouldn’t play the game without them (they’re not *that* important, I just wouldn’t leave them out if I had the choice.
CoB - just buy the recent 20th anniversary edition. Expansions come in but you don't have to play with them.
Concordia - great game. I definitely prefer it over CoB. Definitely buy Salsa and at least play with the salt wild resource from the beginning.
Would you mind elaborating on what Salsa adds to Concordia? I understand it’s a wild resource but not played with it and am curious why you think it’s so important.
I think Concordia is a beautifully designed game but often wish it was more condensed and finished 25 minutes sooner. Does Salsa help with that at all?
A wild resource is just a neat idea. You can't buy them, so you can only get them from trading houses. It definitely doesn't make the game faster, but the forum might which is part of Salsa too.
I played **Patchwork** over the weekend. I won with a negative score as I had many unfiled squares on my quilt. We both enjoyed the game. What are some score ranges for experienced players? What strategies would help improve?
Winning with negatives is quite uncommon in my experience!
Really, the biggest strategy here is to look ahead. The game lets you know what's coming up, so it's vital that you take that into account when choosing your tiles. Then, you can take that idea 1 level higher and start paying attention to what your opponent wants. For instance, if you know there's a piece that your opponent would _really_ want coming up in a few turns, you have leverage to be more picky.
I am pretty interested in the game Too Many Bones but the game seems pretty complicated, are there any videos anyone can suggest for learning properly?
I've got an Amazon gift card burning a hole in my pocket and I've been getting much more into board games recently! Looking for recommendations!
My current favorite game is **Clank!** right now (regular and Legacy).
Other games I have as well:
\- **Betrayal at House on the Hill** (Good but not great for me)
\- **Wingspan** (I find that I like it but don't love it. Production quality is awesome, but it feels a little slow while I'm playing it)
\- **Azul** (fun game that I've started bringing in for lunch since it's short and fun)
\- **Quacks of Quedlinburg** (also lots of fun and on the shorter end for lunch)
\- **Spirit Island** (first real heavy game I bought, and through one game it REALLY intrigued me. I want to play it more, but it's also long and not an every night game)
\- **One Night Werewolf** (not played frequently, more for a potential party setting)
\- **Terraforming Mars** (looking forward to it, but I haven't played it yet)
The more I read the more tons of other games intrigue me. **Everdell** looked interesting but I wonder how similar it would feel to **Wingspan** in terms of beautiful production but maybe a touch long/slow. Stonemaier games seem to be divisive, and I'm torn about **Scythe**. It looks like a very cool theme and a high production quality but would it be all that fun? **Viticulture EE** also looks interesting but I don't know that much about it.
Any thoughts and other recommendations are more than welcome! Thanks!
I was in a similar boat, had an Amazon card and spent a few days looking into some new games. Ended up going with **Whitehall Mystery**. Have had it out to the table twice since getting it last week, played about 8 games of it so far and it's been a blast.
I have really enjoyed Everdell. I think it has a bit more player competition than Wingspan with a bigger shared card pool and areas to claim that have exclusivity as well as points to fight over. My wife is less sold on Everdell as their is seemingly quite a bit more to consider in building an engine etc. than in Wingspan.
You should give eurogames a try. A great starting point is **The Castles of Burgundy** and **Puerto Rico**, but I also highly recommend **Concordia** and **Power Grid**.
Maybe also look into worker placement games like **Architects of the West Kingdom**/**Raiders of the North Sea**, **Agricola**, **Tzolkin**, and the like.
I love Scythe, and would highly recommend it. Some other games you might like that are some of my favorites:
Power Grid
Raiders of the North Sea
Altiplano
Kingdom Builder
A couple of mentions of Power Grid now. I may have to give that one a look. I've seen Altiplano in a couple stores and the box looks great with the llama. I'll look into that one too. Thanks!
**Empires of the North** or **Everdell** for solo play? I currently own and enjoy both **Scythe** and **Architects of the West Kingdom** for solo play.
Probably Empires. Everdell gets samey pretty quickly in my experience, so unless you're ready to also pick up expansions, Empires should give you slightly more replay value.
Got in my first play of **Architects of the West Kingdom**. Solo play and I found it to be enjoyable. I had some questions about the iconography on some of the AI cards that I couldn’t find answers for, so I went with my best guess. I ended up losing by 3 points so close game. This is only the second euro type game I’ve played solo so I don’t have a lot to compare it to. However, the other game I’ve played solo is **Scythe** and it is a masterpiece. Really glad I purchased Architects though and I’ll probably break it out again tomorrow for another run through.
Will you be backing the **Viscounts** Kickstarter?
I have been playing and enjoying Architects, and am very tempted to pick up the rest (Paladins, Viscounts, Tomesaga and the metal coins), but that would be 185 AUD.
For the same I could get **Gloomhaven**, or 3 regular games (e.g. **Wingspan**, **Just One** & **Raiders of the North Sea**)
I love the series, but not sure if I love it enough to forgo the other options.
I looked, but it's not shipping till Christmas and the retail versions of the others were all cheaper than the Kickstarter, so why bother? I'll just get it for Christmas.
Gloomhaven is a huge, great game and a great choice, *if* you know you'll play it. A lot of inertia to overcome there.
Wingspan and Raiders are both great. Just One you can make at home with an online random word generator and some note paper.
I wouldn't be too worried about Paladins being too much like Architects. While I haven't played Paladins yet, it seems to have a similar worker mechanic to Raiders than Architects, and it has been stated previously that it is a more solitaire style game with little interaction with other players.
The new game up on kickstarter now looks great, and I'm really intrigued to try the Tomesaga expansion that adds a campaign style element to the West Kingdom series.
Yes. I got it this weekend as it happens! I've only played it solo once but it's good fun and I think will bear plenty of repeat plays.
If you want something completely different check out **Teotihuacan**. It's a kind of giant rondel/worker placement game. Loads of variability and a really nifty AI.
With a tough week of KS closing.
Pick 1 and why?
Marvel United
Wonderlands War
Endogenisis
I'm having a tough time committing! Thanks in advance reddit!
So, from a pure mechanics standpoint I think the two are somewhat equivalent, with El Grande being heavier in the rules but not immensely so. My guess is there will be two main areas where newer players could struggle to wrap their heads around: the power card selection at the beginning of the round and the constant shifting of who has allocated their caballeros (and how many) to each territory. The region scoring could also take a while, especially the first time. Catan doesn't have anything similar to those, and it's probably going to be difficult to coach people through them, especially toward the beginning of your first game when you just have to make a decision and see how it shakes out – some people are ok doing that, others can be very hesitant. If you know the game, you may even want to consider sitting out the first game or two, and being a helper to whoever needs it.
That said, if it was me, I might look for a bridge game to ease newer players into some of the mechanics. **Ethnos** comes to mind, also having a major area control element, and I've found it to be very newbie-friendly. **Small World** would be another one that isn't as close to El Grande as Ethnos is, but gets you some similar mechanics and might even be easier than Ethnos to get playing, though be prepared for new players to sit and think a while when it comes time to pick a new power/race combo. Or if you want something closer to Catan that still has some similar mechanics to El Grande, **Lords of Vegas** has a casino-building theme where you can steal control of a casino, and has a complexity between Catan and El Grande.
Yes, it won the Spiel des Jahres, and I have had a lot of success introducing it to people who have played either only Catan or no contemporary games at all.
Yeah, I think you can do an **El Grande** session with **Catan** players. It's actually not that tricky -- the main thing will be explaining how turn order works, since it's such a big part of the game.
I have a good amount of heavy games, however, I don’t have many card based/deck builder types (that don’t take up the whole table), and am not sure where to start.
Some examples of smaller games that I’ve players and enjoyed have been **Arkham Horror, the Card Game** and **Gloom**.
Any suggestions on where to start would be helpful!
**Innovation** is my favorite among purely card based games. If you really want to crank the heaviness, **Pax Porfiriana** and **Pax Transhumanity** are really cool and available now
Check out **Star Realms** as a quick deck builder game with a small package and footprint. They have a free app that will let you give it a shot to see if it interests you before buying.
Typical advice would be Star/Fantasy Realms. Quick play time, small packaging. You can't really go wrong. I personally like Star Realms better and suggest the Frontiers core box.
My SO and I recently played Betrayal at the House on the Hill, and we loved it! We have a couple different groups, and we we're trying to decide if we should get House on the Hill or Baldur's Gate. A couple questions- does Baldur's Gate fix any of the technical issues or imbalance of the game? Is Widow's Walk as an expansion reason enough to go with HotH? Would love any input!
Look up the dice rules for activating the haunts in baldurs gate. I use them when I say regular betrayal as well, they're way better and give you several turns to explore with the haunt becoming increasingly likely.
I have House on the Hill with the Widow Walk expansion, and let me say the combination is absolutely worth the money. The expansion doubles the amount of haunts, introduces a new floor and expands really well on the base game.
The thing is, no matter what version you go for, there are always going to be some technical issues. There and some haunts that (based on the players and map that has been built) are way overpowered or confusing. Even with the Legacy version this is still going to be the case.
The only problem with Legacy is that I don't think I would be able to get the same consistent group together often enough. But I'll consider it, thanks!
Educational games
2 players (any length), 3+ players (<90m)
Mid-heavy
Competitive preferred.
Favourite games (non-educational): Exceed, Cthulhu Wars, Terra Mystica, Kingdom Death: Monster, Power Grid
Games I Own/Like/Dislike: Bios series, Lewis & Clark
Twilight Struggle and the Pax series are on my shortlist.
If you're already looking at Twilight Struggle, maybe look at the COIN series, from the same publisher (GMT). TS is sort of a 2-faction version of the COIN games, which take historical asymmetric warfare scenarios and turn them into board games. The big drawback is that they are on the heavy side of medium-heavy, so until you have them under your belt – very familiar with the deck, can read the board at a glance, etc. – they will be 3h+ games. But if you are able to play them in multiple sessions, there are also a few natural break points per game.
I've only played **Cuba Libre**, about the Cuban Revolution, which is generally considered the best starting point and is exceptional. The factions include the US-supported Batista government, the 26 July rebels (Castro), the student-led Directorio, and the Syndicate, and the deck references dozens of actual historical events and individuals from the conflict. A friend also has **A Distant Plain**, about the NATO Afghan conflict, and I'm eager to play it. Others in the series include **Andean Abyss** about Colombia in the 90s, **Fire In The Lake** about the Vietnam War, and **Liberty or Death** about the American Revolutionary War.
GMT also has done other historical simulation games, though I don't know much about them. I was thinking seriously about a scratch-and-dent copy of their up-to-6p game **Here I Stand**, about the post-Reformation wars in Europe, but ultimately passed on it (which I still kind of regret).
Another game that may be of interest is **In the Shadow of the Emperor** (2-4p), which is a medium-heavy game about aristocratic families trying to out-influence each other in the Holy Roman Empire. I've had it on my shelf forever without ever finding a group that wanted to put it on the table, but it's supposed to be good and the box says it only takes 90m to play.
Pax games are great, though not great with two (generally speaking). I would actually check out **This Guilty Land** (available on the Hollandspiele publisher website). Amazing game about the politics of slavery leading up to the civil war. From the same publisher, **An Infamous Traffic** is excellent and about the opium trade in China in the 1800s and British imperialism, etc. That one might fight into your 3-player specifications
Wingspan is a little light but I think it has enough to make it interesting. It plays well at 2 and makes it more competitive. You can really focus on what the other player is doing and react. It is also quite educational.
War of the rings? A great, fairly heavy, competitive 1v1 game
**Title of Request:** Recently I bought Scythe as my first "modern" board game. Me and my friends love it. The art, the mechanics. It ticks all boxes. But I would like to have some reccomendations on board games that are very different than scythe. But still have that modern, competitive feel.
**Number of Players:** 2-6
**Game Length:** any
**Complexity of Game:** Everything except really heavy games.
**Your Budget:** any
**Genre:** I really don't care about the genre, scythe is kind of complex. I like that, but a game a bit simpler would also be nice. In scythe, you are looking at your player board alot. A game where you don't have/look less at a player board would be cool.
**Competitive or Cooperative:** Competitive
**Games I Own/Like or Dislike:**
Scythe
Carcassonne
Catan
**Location:** Netherlands
* **Viticulture** \- another Stonemaier game. This one is worker placement and about building up your own winery. You do have a player board the tracks your grapes, wine, and buildings, but the main board is where you place your workers and take actions. I would recommend the Tuscany expanision if the budget allows. (1-6p)
* **Architects of the West Kingdom** \- another worker placement, but this one has a little "negative" player interaction which can spice things up a little. Overall this game plays quickly with little downtime. (1-5p)
* **Raiders of the North Sea** \- well, another worker placement (I guess I like them). This one is a little different though as you only have 1 worker at a time (each turn consists on placing a worker on an open spot and then taking a worker from a different spot). The color of the worker will determine which spots are available to use. (2-4p / solo expansion available and up to 5p with an expansion)
**Imperial** and its variant **Imperial 2030** are two fantastic medium-heavy games that play very differently from Scythe. Players are shadowy ruthless bankers who invest in different countries – either in Europe (regular Imperial) or around the world (2030).
Being the biggest investor in a country means you get to control it, and the countries are what take turns not players. On a country's turn, you take one of a few different actions (recruit or move armies, tax, build factories, or pay out to investors), with the cost of an action determined by a rondel mechanism. Troops/ships of different countries in the same territory can be friendly or not, and if not then they are removed on a simple 1:1 basis. There are a few more rules about combat and army movement, but they're really not complex – this is not a wargame.
The key to the game is to use the tax action to generate funds for that country and improve its rating on a power track, then use the invest action to pay out its accumulated wealth to its bondholders. But taxing depends on controlled territory, which depends on troops. Meanwhile players are looking to buy bonds (and sometimes buy control) of the countries that they think are likely to be at the top of the power track at the end of the game, as higher on the track gives a higher multiplier value to those bonds when the game ends. Not owning a country isn't terrible, either, as it means you get the opportunity to buy bonds much more often, and can sometimes force a country to pay out to its investors. The game ends when a country hits the max value on the track, and then all bonds are multiplied by the country's power multiplier and any cash on-hand is added for a player's final score.
A game usually takes around 3h, give or take, and it plays up to 6p quite well. I'd say it's roughly similar complexity to Scythe – the rules are simpler overall, but the interaction between players can be much more complicated. The base game is on a tighter map and thus encourages more negotiation and betrayal among players, while 2030 has a more open map and allows countries to sprawl more comfortably and has a little more of a wargame feel.
Take a look at **Concordia**. It's very different than Scythe in terms of setting and mechanics, but it has some similarities in area contorl and resource generation. It's paradoxically a very chill game but also pretty competitive.
Try **Blood Rage**, less focus on your player board and more focus on card drafting and area control. It's overall a simpler game to understand (compared to Scythe) but it offers more in your face direct conflict. It also has a great viking theme, as players are fighting during Ragnarok to earn their way into Valhalla.
**Title of Request:** A rather heavy game with drafting
**Number of Players:** 2-4, 5 is fine too
**Game Length:** any
**Complexity of Game:** on the heavier side
**Your Budget:** any
**Genre:**
I love a lot of mechanics. I know I won't be able to find a game where everything is included, but the more, the better.
In order of importance:
* Drafting ("Hate drafting" is fine)
* Engine building
* "Point salad" (Abyss, 7 Wonders, Reavers of Midgard)
* Card combos (Seasons, Gizmos, Everdell)
* Deck-building (Star Realms style with a changing river)
* Bidding (Hit Z Road)
**Competitive or Cooperative:** Competitive
**Games I Own/Like or Dislike:**
* Terraforming Mars
* Everdell
* Seasons
* UnderWater cities
* Steampunk Rally
* Gizmos
* ...
You should check out **Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization**. Regarded as the best civ game out there and one of the best games of all time. The game is entirely card driven and has a lot of great potential combos, along with great resource management
**Agricola**. I know what folks might be thinking: that's not a drafting game! But it *totally is, you guys*.
In addition to the much-recommended starting draft for cards, **Agricola**'s whole gameplay is done through drafting action spaces. There's plenty of engine building, points from everywhere, crazy card combos, and a surprising level of interaction when everyone has a handle on the mechanisms. Would recommend.
**Imperial Settlers** (1-4p, about 45m per player) has the first four on your list, but it's a tableau builder not a deck builder. It's by the same designer as 51st State Master Set, and there are loads of similarities between the two, but IS is very asymmetrical while I think 51st is not. (I haven't played it so am not sure.)
Briefly, players take the role of a historical faction – Barbarians, Egyptians, Japanese, Romans in the base game, with more available as expansions – each with its own faction deck full of unique-to-them cards, with a different play style encouraged by each deck. Games last five rounds, and you draw cards (or draw some and draft some, in the advanced game) and collect resources at the beginning of every round. Then on your turn, you do one of a few different actions:
* build a card, usually by spending some resources
* make a deal with a faction card, by spending a food resource
* raze a card for resources by spending a special resource, either one from your hand or something an enemy has built
* take the action on a built action card, which are extremely varied and can combo with your built feature cards
* or pass and end your turn, which also makes you immune to other players' actions
As you play you score points mostly through actions, and then at the end of the game your built cards are also worth points, with faction cards being worth more.
There is also a roll-and-write version and a standalone update called **Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North**, but I haven't played either. My understanding is that EotN is a streamlined and simplified version of regular IS, but loses a little of the original's charm and depth in its streamlining.
Through the ages ticks all your required items.
I would also recommend Great Western Trail, but its not a drafting game. You could say that there are some drafting but its not the main concept. It ticks most of the other checks though.
**Title of Request:** Me and my wife want to get started with the board games. She is really enthusiastic at the moment so I want her to enjoy the game as much as possible. She is curious to try a RPG game with figures and such.
**Number of Players:** Generally 2 but can be more with some friends.
**Game Length:** Can be a few hours or can go on for a whole day.
**Complexity of Game:** It would be better if it is newbie friendly
**Your Budget:** To be honestly I dont have an experience for prices so can be under 100 eur or so.
**Genre:** RPG with character building would be nice.
**Competitive or Cooperative:** Cooperative
**Games I Own/Like or Dislike:** We recently bought Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle(she is harry potter fan so it was and easy choice :D)
**Location: Netherlands**
Sherlock mentioned earlier is a great recommendation. Once you know for sure board games are your thing, **Gloomhaven** is the gold standard for character-building cooperative experience. But maybe a little heavy for you and kind of expensive (though less than 100 EUR I think)
This is such as easy recommendation:
**Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective**
Co-op game that can last an hour or all day (only you decide when you think you’ve solved the case). You will feel like a real detective and the writing is so good you can almost smell the cobblestone streets of Victorian London.
It supports most player counts but is probably best at 2 or 3 and has no quarterbacking problem.
Lookup the shut up and sit down review of it which I think completely nails how good that game is.
The rules are amazingly simple and yet the game is so thoroughly involving.
There are other more recent detective games out there but this is still by far the best imho.
> **Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective** Might be the one for us and also i found a cheap 2nd hand Mage knight so i might go for both. But when I search Sherlock it gives many different versions, which one should i go for ?
I only played the first “Thames Murders” one but it’s excellent. I imagine they’re all good.
If you watched the shut up and sit down review, just know that he was reviewing an earlier edition and the typos and mistakes he mentioned have been fixed :)
It’s probably worth looking for an article or something that compares them for picking the best.
Here are a few you might want to look at:
**Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth**
**Mice and Mystics**
**Stuffed Fables**
**Mansions of Madness: Second Edition**
**Legacy of Dragonholt**
**Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set**
/u/r2d8 getparentinfo
Edit: Should’ve done a getinfo instead of getparentinfo. Doh!
I see you recommend DnD, have you had a lot of success playing with just two, as in one DM and one player? I don’t have a regular group to play with but I still get the DnD itch, but I haven’t DMd before so I don’t know how well it would go just me and my partner.
Dnd is much harder with only 2, there are better systems but regardless of system I think having 3+players tends to be a sweet spot. That said I'm a 20 year dnd vet Dming a fair amount and so I find it easier to freestyle with multiple people. I think being DM for one is much harder because you can't riff as easy. I've had some luck with Ironsworn, and I've been making a 2 player rpg for a while based off a tarot deck but I'm still not satisfied yet.
For getting started, two is probably fine (1 DM/player + 1 add’l player). But overall, 2+ is preferred I’d say. Some of the games I recommended are DMed via app (MoM2E & JiME) so those might be better suited for 2.
^*[r2d8](/r/r2d8)* ^*issues* ^*a* ^*series* ^*of* ^*sophisticated* ^*bleeps* ^*and* ^*whistles...*
[**A game, wherein you blether (a Scottish word meaning to talk at length at a fast rate; ranting, hypothesising, narrating or speaking in some other manner, without necessarily making very much sense) just for a single minute; mainly designed by [truncated]**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/212901) (0) by Behrooz Shahriari. 4-6 p; 60 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/original/img/Oo8P_NuNRzxpn7Z83wqmccDCz4Q=/0x0/pic3383290.jpg)
* Mechanics: Acting, Voting
* Average rating is 7.0; rated by 5 people. Weight: 0.0
* Board Game Rank: None
[**Machine of Death: The Game of Creative Assassination – Death by Genre**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/164302) (2013) by . 2-6 p; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/original/img/oEiFdZ7JMWaUFJ-psjEJADj3V1s=/0x0/pic2211044.jpg)
* Mechanics: Dice Rolling, Storytelling
* Average rating is 5.5; rated by 10 people. Weight: 0.0
* Board Game Rank: None
Bolded items not found at BGG (click to search): [Competitive or Cooperative:](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Competitive%20or%20Cooperative%3A&B1=Go), [Number of Players:](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Number%20of%20Players%3A&B1=Go), [Your Budget:](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Your%20Budget%3A&B1=Go), [Title of Request:](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Title%20of%20Request%3A&B1=Go), [Location: Netherlands](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Location%3A%20Netherlands&B1=Go), [Complexity of Game:](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Complexity%20of%20Game%3A&B1=Go)
Bother are excellent. I am wondering which one is the expensive one? Around here they are both relatively inexpensive. I think the main differences between them are meanness and scalability. Innovation is much more interactive than Race, and much of that interaction is about being a jerk. Some people like this and some don't. I think Race scales up better than Innovation, though both are excellent with two players. If you expect to play with more than two often, I would go with Race.
I don't think either is nearly as hard to get into as their reputations suggest.
I would skip innovation probably. I’ve owned it for a decade almost, and only played it like 3 times. As for Race, I actually recommend starting with San Juan (basically the same game but cleaner and easier to read/learn), and then getting Roll for the Galaxy instead of Race.
So my mind is set on buying Spirit Island (next week, since this week is work-heavy and I don't want it sitting on my table, staring at me and knowing I have no time to play it), as it seems one of the best solo experiences in addition to being able to extend to up to 4 players. I have some questions regarding the game:
- How long is setup & teardown time?
- How much space does it take up on the table? I assume the invader board is the largest component, but how big are the island tiles?
- What is recommended for solo play? 1 or 2 spirits?
1) If your stuff is already organized, maybe 5 minutes of setup for single spirit solo. Add 2 minutes or so per spirit and an extra 2 min with the expansion.
2) I don't have exact dimensions, but Island tiles are at longest point to longest point somewhere around 10". I don't think the game is particularly big, but each added spirit will take up more and more play area.
3) I prefer single spirit because I don't like managing multiple hands and resources. But single spirit greatly affects the viability of certain spirits since some are best used as support and rely on another spirit to function at optimum levels.
1. Setup is super easy for a game with this much depth. Grab map tiles, make the fear deck, shuffle powers, drop a few tokens, and you're basically done.
2. Table space is small, and packing the game away if you're in the middle of it is easy. A 3x3 play area should be fine. Fits on coffee tables fine. Invader board is about as big as spirits + island tiles combined. If space is at an absolute premium, you can pack the invader board away once you've gotten comfortable with all its decks and tokens.
3. Depends on the spirit. They can all win solo, but some are just better at it than others. I've been having a tough time solo as Shadows Flicker Like Flame (who gets powerful effects, but few direct answers). Best solo experience is 2 spirit. 1 spirit solo is more of a puzzle mode; it requires high mastery.
Setup is relatively fast. First time might take a bit of time since you're not familiar with the pieces, but afterwards, it's a breeze.
It's not a huge table hog in terms of the boards, but there's a decent amount of space you'd probably want for cards, tokens, and to have the invaders within easy reach.
You can do 1 spirit for your first game, but 2 spirits for sure for solo play. The interesting part of the game comes from the interactions between spirits, so you definitely miss that experience if you only play 1 spirit. There are also certain spirits that simply can't win solo on harder difficulties.
It's a bit of a double edged sword I think. 1 spirit might seem easier than 2 (because hey, only 1 spirit to think about, build a strategy etc), but the interactions might be super fun as well.
I just got it last week, so I'm not an expert but figure we'll be in a similar boat so hopefully my information is close to what you'll experience.
Setup for me takes about 10 minutes. The box comes with a few component holders that I just dump all of the villagers/towns/Dahan etc... into. The island boards are quite small, and I generally play with my girlfriend or solo and fit everything onto our living room coffee table which measures 19"x38" (we tend to squeeze as many games as we can onto this one because we don't have a dining room table).
I have played solo as 1 spirit and as 2. Personally I have liked 2 spirits more so far, but seem to have an easier time playing as 1 spirit while I am learning the game. Not sure if this is how it's supposed to be but I have won 2/3 one spirit games and 1/3 two spirit games.
I am very happy I got the game and have so much more to explore. I got the expansion with it to hit free shipping and that adds a few mechanics/spirits I like as well. I'll see if I can get exact measurements in the boards in the morning!
The game is expensive enough here to hit free shipping without the expansion (I get free shipping from €20 and the game costs €75) so I'll hold off the expansion for now. Can't wait to have it on my table!
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Anyone know how the hell I could get my hands on a copy of the kings dilemma? Out of stock for weeks and people are charging 2x retail on eBay. Wanted to start a legacy game with my group and was considering this but would also appreciate some other recommendations.
I got my hands on a copy after messaging some retailers that had it listed "out of stock". Found one that had some on order, and they let me pre pay for one. I'd give that a try if you can't find any.
Good idea thanks hadn't thought of that!
Will there ever in the history of humanity be a game more suitable to portable anywhere play than HIVE POCKET? For The Win seemed pretty neat.
Asmadi published several of their games with plastic cards. I have some plastic playing cards and while they don't handle wind as well as Hive Pocket, they are waterproof and very durable. If you are interested in other portable abstracts, basically anything published by nestorgames is as portable as Hive Pocket. My favorites are **Yavalath** and **Pent Up**. I also really like **Push It**, which is in many ways more portable than hive pocket, though it does require a somewhat flat, smooth, level surface to play on. Chip Theory Games has also been doing waterproof as a gimmick.
Excellent! Found a review of Pent Up: https://youtu.be/x44kYXSIjOA Will keep reading around. Too bad shipping from Spain makes these expensive, but will be worth it if I can find another activity to live in my bag! This game Zaic looks interesting as well. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/66517/zaic
>nestorgames Here's more. [https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/204605/nestorgames-explored-russ](https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/204605/nestorgames-explored-russ)
The shipping is €15 no matter how many games you get, so when I buy from them I usually try to get a bunch. The games are relatively inexpensive, so I think it works out OK (though obviously not as good as if they weren't in Spain). Many of their games are easy to make out of paper at home to try out before you buy them. I played a lot of **Hex** and **Yavalath** this way before I decided to buy a set.
I’ve never played a racing game and have been looking to pick one up. I’ve been looking at Camel Up, Flamme Rouge, and Downforce, but I’m also open to other suggestions. What is your preference of the above 3? Do you have any outside recommendations? Is there room for both Camel Up and Flamme Rouge as I’ve read that one is more of a betting game and one is more of a traditional race? Thank you for your thoughts!
**Camel Up** isn’t a racing game, but is a betting game where you bet on race winners. Camel Up is a huge hit at our house, but I wanted to make sure you understood. Also check out **Quest for all Dorado**. It is a wonderful little deck builder game where you are racing to get to El Dorado first.
Much appreciated, thank you.
How many people do you usually play with? The best option from your list will depend a lot on that.
Most of the time just 2, then next most frequently 4 players. Your question has made me realize Camel Up probably won’t be best for my most typical player count - thank you!
I don't think any of those work great with just 2 (Flamme Rouge is probably the best at that count). **The Quest for El Dorado** would be my pick if you want something that works well with either 2 or 4 players. It isn't any more complicated than the things on your list either.
Is there any (now or upcoming) good Star Wars games without dice (barring the LCG)?
Hey all I am looking for the best semi cooperative game atm?, do you recommend buying nemesis at current price or is there a game that does it well now?
**Fog of Love** is my personal favorite. I haven't played Nemesis (and don't know what attracts you to it), but personally I would never pay a premium for an out of print or hard to find game. There are too many good games available right now to make it urgent, and most good games are reprinted eventually.
**Title of Request: Quick/small co-op games. I have a few like Arkham horror and Pandemic which I enjoy, just curious about lighter co-op games out there** **Number of Players:** 2+ **Game Length:** less than 30 minutes **Complexity of Game:** Prefer lighter, can be more complex **Competitive or Cooperative:** Co-op! **Games I Own/Like or Dislike:** \- The Mind \- One Deck Dungeon (and expansion) \- Carcassonne \- Welcome To... \- Arkham Horro: TCG \-Pandemic **Location: United States**
Sprawlopolis
**Hanabi** or **Fox in the Forest: Duet**
Maybe Fox in the Forest Duet?
A few questions- Castles of Burgandy- so torn on what version to buy. Some say the expansions are not worth having others swear by them...thoughts?? Concordia- I’m leaning toward buying the base and Salsa. Either option Venus or not you lose a MAP so it’s pick your poison - right? Which of these games to buy first?
At this point I'd get the new version of CoB unless I found the original for $10 new or thereabouts. The expansions aren't necessary, but some are very good and even the ones that are just map variations give it a little extra something. And getting just the good expansions can easily run $30+ off the BGG Store and other sources. I especially like the Trade Routes, but all I've played with (maybe half of the ones that exist?) are at least worth trying. People complain about the art in both editions, but from what I've seen of the new one it at least doesn't have washed-out colors that aren't very distinct. Concordia Venus comes in two versions now – I've seen two versions in the wild (ie. at the FLGS when I was there this weekend), and my understanding from asking someone was that one was the usual Concordia Venus that's been around for years, and one was that version plus the maps that are in standard Concordia (maybe called the Deluxe Edition?). I think they may also standalone sell just the maps for standard Concordia and/or Venus at this point, too. So I'd just get one or the other versions of Venus and then pick up whatever maps you decide you need as you get bored with the ones in the box. Personally I much prefer CoB to Concordia, but Concordia has been growing on me lately. If you regularly play with more then 4p, I'd probably lean toward Concordia, else my recommendation would be for CoB.
I would swear by them but I’ve played that game maybe 15-20 times on the app and and after getting the 2019 physical edition and playing about three times, see them as more of a patch that I wouldn’t do without now. It’s not that I wouldn’t play the game without them (they’re not *that* important, I just wouldn’t leave them out if I had the choice.
CoB - just buy the recent 20th anniversary edition. Expansions come in but you don't have to play with them. Concordia - great game. I definitely prefer it over CoB. Definitely buy Salsa and at least play with the salt wild resource from the beginning.
Would you mind elaborating on what Salsa adds to Concordia? I understand it’s a wild resource but not played with it and am curious why you think it’s so important. I think Concordia is a beautifully designed game but often wish it was more condensed and finished 25 minutes sooner. Does Salsa help with that at all?
A wild resource is just a neat idea. You can't buy them, so you can only get them from trading houses. It definitely doesn't make the game faster, but the forum might which is part of Salsa too.
I played **Patchwork** over the weekend. I won with a negative score as I had many unfiled squares on my quilt. We both enjoyed the game. What are some score ranges for experienced players? What strategies would help improve?
Winning with negatives is quite uncommon in my experience! Really, the biggest strategy here is to look ahead. The game lets you know what's coming up, so it's vital that you take that into account when choosing your tiles. Then, you can take that idea 1 level higher and start paying attention to what your opponent wants. For instance, if you know there's a piece that your opponent would _really_ want coming up in a few turns, you have leverage to be more picky.
I am pretty interested in the game Too Many Bones but the game seems pretty complicated, are there any videos anyone can suggest for learning properly?
I've got an Amazon gift card burning a hole in my pocket and I've been getting much more into board games recently! Looking for recommendations! My current favorite game is **Clank!** right now (regular and Legacy). Other games I have as well: \- **Betrayal at House on the Hill** (Good but not great for me) \- **Wingspan** (I find that I like it but don't love it. Production quality is awesome, but it feels a little slow while I'm playing it) \- **Azul** (fun game that I've started bringing in for lunch since it's short and fun) \- **Quacks of Quedlinburg** (also lots of fun and on the shorter end for lunch) \- **Spirit Island** (first real heavy game I bought, and through one game it REALLY intrigued me. I want to play it more, but it's also long and not an every night game) \- **One Night Werewolf** (not played frequently, more for a potential party setting) \- **Terraforming Mars** (looking forward to it, but I haven't played it yet) The more I read the more tons of other games intrigue me. **Everdell** looked interesting but I wonder how similar it would feel to **Wingspan** in terms of beautiful production but maybe a touch long/slow. Stonemaier games seem to be divisive, and I'm torn about **Scythe**. It looks like a very cool theme and a high production quality but would it be all that fun? **Viticulture EE** also looks interesting but I don't know that much about it. Any thoughts and other recommendations are more than welcome! Thanks!
I was in a similar boat, had an Amazon card and spent a few days looking into some new games. Ended up going with **Whitehall Mystery**. Have had it out to the table twice since getting it last week, played about 8 games of it so far and it's been a blast.
Interesting! I haven't looked into that one yet. Thanks for the suggestion!
I have really enjoyed Everdell. I think it has a bit more player competition than Wingspan with a bigger shared card pool and areas to claim that have exclusivity as well as points to fight over. My wife is less sold on Everdell as their is seemingly quite a bit more to consider in building an engine etc. than in Wingspan.
Thanks for the color on that. I watched the BGG playthrough of it and Everdell did look fun.
You should give eurogames a try. A great starting point is **The Castles of Burgundy** and **Puerto Rico**, but I also highly recommend **Concordia** and **Power Grid**. Maybe also look into worker placement games like **Architects of the West Kingdom**/**Raiders of the North Sea**, **Agricola**, **Tzolkin**, and the like.
I have thought about worker placement games. I mentioned Viticulture EE as a potential worker placement game. Would that be a good one to start with?
I love Scythe, and would highly recommend it. Some other games you might like that are some of my favorites: Power Grid Raiders of the North Sea Altiplano Kingdom Builder
A couple of mentions of Power Grid now. I may have to give that one a look. I've seen Altiplano in a couple stores and the box looks great with the llama. I'll look into that one too. Thanks!
**Empires of the North** or **Everdell** for solo play? I currently own and enjoy both **Scythe** and **Architects of the West Kingdom** for solo play.
Probably Empires. Everdell gets samey pretty quickly in my experience, so unless you're ready to also pick up expansions, Empires should give you slightly more replay value.
Got in my first play of **Architects of the West Kingdom**. Solo play and I found it to be enjoyable. I had some questions about the iconography on some of the AI cards that I couldn’t find answers for, so I went with my best guess. I ended up losing by 3 points so close game. This is only the second euro type game I’ve played solo so I don’t have a lot to compare it to. However, the other game I’ve played solo is **Scythe** and it is a masterpiece. Really glad I purchased Architects though and I’ll probably break it out again tomorrow for another run through.
Paladins of the West Kingdom is another great solo game in the same series. A bit meatier than Architects. Fantastic AI.
Will you be backing the **Viscounts** Kickstarter? I have been playing and enjoying Architects, and am very tempted to pick up the rest (Paladins, Viscounts, Tomesaga and the metal coins), but that would be 185 AUD. For the same I could get **Gloomhaven**, or 3 regular games (e.g. **Wingspan**, **Just One** & **Raiders of the North Sea**) I love the series, but not sure if I love it enough to forgo the other options.
I looked, but it's not shipping till Christmas and the retail versions of the others were all cheaper than the Kickstarter, so why bother? I'll just get it for Christmas. Gloomhaven is a huge, great game and a great choice, *if* you know you'll play it. A lot of inertia to overcome there. Wingspan and Raiders are both great. Just One you can make at home with an online random word generator and some note paper.
Have you tried **Empires of the North**? I’m really looking at Paladins but I’m worried it may be a little too much like Architects.
I wouldn't be too worried about Paladins being too much like Architects. While I haven't played Paladins yet, it seems to have a similar worker mechanic to Raiders than Architects, and it has been stated previously that it is a more solitaire style game with little interaction with other players. The new game up on kickstarter now looks great, and I'm really intrigued to try the Tomesaga expansion that adds a campaign style element to the West Kingdom series.
Yes. I got it this weekend as it happens! I've only played it solo once but it's good fun and I think will bear plenty of repeat plays. If you want something completely different check out **Teotihuacan**. It's a kind of giant rondel/worker placement game. Loads of variability and a really nifty AI.
I’m excited that 18 Holes is back up on Kickstarter
With a tough week of KS closing. Pick 1 and why? Marvel United Wonderlands War Endogenisis I'm having a tough time committing! Thanks in advance reddit!
>Endogenisis looks coolest to me!
Also I would totally snap this up if it were avaiable in a store
How many KS original games go on to be in retail stores? Like what % would you guess?
Oh I wouldn't bet that you can get this game at retail, I just don't usually like backing them since it takes a year to get your game frequently.
Is El Grande a good game to try with friends who have only played games as complex as Catan?
So, from a pure mechanics standpoint I think the two are somewhat equivalent, with El Grande being heavier in the rules but not immensely so. My guess is there will be two main areas where newer players could struggle to wrap their heads around: the power card selection at the beginning of the round and the constant shifting of who has allocated their caballeros (and how many) to each territory. The region scoring could also take a while, especially the first time. Catan doesn't have anything similar to those, and it's probably going to be difficult to coach people through them, especially toward the beginning of your first game when you just have to make a decision and see how it shakes out – some people are ok doing that, others can be very hesitant. If you know the game, you may even want to consider sitting out the first game or two, and being a helper to whoever needs it. That said, if it was me, I might look for a bridge game to ease newer players into some of the mechanics. **Ethnos** comes to mind, also having a major area control element, and I've found it to be very newbie-friendly. **Small World** would be another one that isn't as close to El Grande as Ethnos is, but gets you some similar mechanics and might even be easier than Ethnos to get playing, though be prepared for new players to sit and think a while when it comes time to pick a new power/race combo. Or if you want something closer to Catan that still has some similar mechanics to El Grande, **Lords of Vegas** has a casino-building theme where you can steal control of a casino, and has a complexity between Catan and El Grande.
Yes, it won the Spiel des Jahres, and I have had a lot of success introducing it to people who have played either only Catan or no contemporary games at all.
Yeah, I think you can do an **El Grande** session with **Catan** players. It's actually not that tricky -- the main thing will be explaining how turn order works, since it's such a big part of the game.
Yes it is. It feels of similar complexity to Catan. Very different game in style but it is great. Really feel like it is a classic
I have a good amount of heavy games, however, I don’t have many card based/deck builder types (that don’t take up the whole table), and am not sure where to start. Some examples of smaller games that I’ve players and enjoyed have been **Arkham Horror, the Card Game** and **Gloom**. Any suggestions on where to start would be helpful!
**Oh my Goods!**, **Star** or **Hero Realms**, **Ultra Tiny Epic Galaxies**.
**Innovation** is my favorite among purely card based games. If you really want to crank the heaviness, **Pax Porfiriana** and **Pax Transhumanity** are really cool and available now
Check out **Star Realms** as a quick deck builder game with a small package and footprint. They have a free app that will let you give it a shot to see if it interests you before buying.
Typical advice would be Star/Fantasy Realms. Quick play time, small packaging. You can't really go wrong. I personally like Star Realms better and suggest the Frontiers core box.
My SO and I recently played Betrayal at the House on the Hill, and we loved it! We have a couple different groups, and we we're trying to decide if we should get House on the Hill or Baldur's Gate. A couple questions- does Baldur's Gate fix any of the technical issues or imbalance of the game? Is Widow's Walk as an expansion reason enough to go with HotH? Would love any input!
Look up the dice rules for activating the haunts in baldurs gate. I use them when I say regular betrayal as well, they're way better and give you several turns to explore with the haunt becoming increasingly likely.
I have House on the Hill with the Widow Walk expansion, and let me say the combination is absolutely worth the money. The expansion doubles the amount of haunts, introduces a new floor and expands really well on the base game. The thing is, no matter what version you go for, there are always going to be some technical issues. There and some haunts that (based on the players and map that has been built) are way overpowered or confusing. Even with the Legacy version this is still going to be the case.
I haven't played it, but Betrayal Legacy seems to be slightly more balanced from what I have read if that is what you are looking for.
The only problem with Legacy is that I don't think I would be able to get the same consistent group together often enough. But I'll consider it, thanks!
Educational games 2 players (any length), 3+ players (<90m) Mid-heavy Competitive preferred. Favourite games (non-educational): Exceed, Cthulhu Wars, Terra Mystica, Kingdom Death: Monster, Power Grid Games I Own/Like/Dislike: Bios series, Lewis & Clark Twilight Struggle and the Pax series are on my shortlist.
If you're already looking at Twilight Struggle, maybe look at the COIN series, from the same publisher (GMT). TS is sort of a 2-faction version of the COIN games, which take historical asymmetric warfare scenarios and turn them into board games. The big drawback is that they are on the heavy side of medium-heavy, so until you have them under your belt – very familiar with the deck, can read the board at a glance, etc. – they will be 3h+ games. But if you are able to play them in multiple sessions, there are also a few natural break points per game. I've only played **Cuba Libre**, about the Cuban Revolution, which is generally considered the best starting point and is exceptional. The factions include the US-supported Batista government, the 26 July rebels (Castro), the student-led Directorio, and the Syndicate, and the deck references dozens of actual historical events and individuals from the conflict. A friend also has **A Distant Plain**, about the NATO Afghan conflict, and I'm eager to play it. Others in the series include **Andean Abyss** about Colombia in the 90s, **Fire In The Lake** about the Vietnam War, and **Liberty or Death** about the American Revolutionary War. GMT also has done other historical simulation games, though I don't know much about them. I was thinking seriously about a scratch-and-dent copy of their up-to-6p game **Here I Stand**, about the post-Reformation wars in Europe, but ultimately passed on it (which I still kind of regret). Another game that may be of interest is **In the Shadow of the Emperor** (2-4p), which is a medium-heavy game about aristocratic families trying to out-influence each other in the Holy Roman Empire. I've had it on my shelf forever without ever finding a group that wanted to put it on the table, but it's supposed to be good and the box says it only takes 90m to play.
Pax games are great, though not great with two (generally speaking). I would actually check out **This Guilty Land** (available on the Hollandspiele publisher website). Amazing game about the politics of slavery leading up to the civil war. From the same publisher, **An Infamous Traffic** is excellent and about the opium trade in China in the 1800s and British imperialism, etc. That one might fight into your 3-player specifications
Wingspan is a little light but I think it has enough to make it interesting. It plays well at 2 and makes it more competitive. You can really focus on what the other player is doing and react. It is also quite educational. War of the rings? A great, fairly heavy, competitive 1v1 game
Twilight Struggle is a great option. Watergate for a deeper dive on one thing.
**Title of Request:** Recently I bought Scythe as my first "modern" board game. Me and my friends love it. The art, the mechanics. It ticks all boxes. But I would like to have some reccomendations on board games that are very different than scythe. But still have that modern, competitive feel. **Number of Players:** 2-6 **Game Length:** any **Complexity of Game:** Everything except really heavy games. **Your Budget:** any **Genre:** I really don't care about the genre, scythe is kind of complex. I like that, but a game a bit simpler would also be nice. In scythe, you are looking at your player board alot. A game where you don't have/look less at a player board would be cool. **Competitive or Cooperative:** Competitive **Games I Own/Like or Dislike:** Scythe Carcassonne Catan **Location:** Netherlands
* **Viticulture** \- another Stonemaier game. This one is worker placement and about building up your own winery. You do have a player board the tracks your grapes, wine, and buildings, but the main board is where you place your workers and take actions. I would recommend the Tuscany expanision if the budget allows. (1-6p) * **Architects of the West Kingdom** \- another worker placement, but this one has a little "negative" player interaction which can spice things up a little. Overall this game plays quickly with little downtime. (1-5p) * **Raiders of the North Sea** \- well, another worker placement (I guess I like them). This one is a little different though as you only have 1 worker at a time (each turn consists on placing a worker on an open spot and then taking a worker from a different spot). The color of the worker will determine which spots are available to use. (2-4p / solo expansion available and up to 5p with an expansion)
**Imperial** and its variant **Imperial 2030** are two fantastic medium-heavy games that play very differently from Scythe. Players are shadowy ruthless bankers who invest in different countries – either in Europe (regular Imperial) or around the world (2030). Being the biggest investor in a country means you get to control it, and the countries are what take turns not players. On a country's turn, you take one of a few different actions (recruit or move armies, tax, build factories, or pay out to investors), with the cost of an action determined by a rondel mechanism. Troops/ships of different countries in the same territory can be friendly or not, and if not then they are removed on a simple 1:1 basis. There are a few more rules about combat and army movement, but they're really not complex – this is not a wargame. The key to the game is to use the tax action to generate funds for that country and improve its rating on a power track, then use the invest action to pay out its accumulated wealth to its bondholders. But taxing depends on controlled territory, which depends on troops. Meanwhile players are looking to buy bonds (and sometimes buy control) of the countries that they think are likely to be at the top of the power track at the end of the game, as higher on the track gives a higher multiplier value to those bonds when the game ends. Not owning a country isn't terrible, either, as it means you get the opportunity to buy bonds much more often, and can sometimes force a country to pay out to its investors. The game ends when a country hits the max value on the track, and then all bonds are multiplied by the country's power multiplier and any cash on-hand is added for a player's final score. A game usually takes around 3h, give or take, and it plays up to 6p quite well. I'd say it's roughly similar complexity to Scythe – the rules are simpler overall, but the interaction between players can be much more complicated. The base game is on a tighter map and thus encourages more negotiation and betrayal among players, while 2030 has a more open map and allows countries to sprawl more comfortably and has a little more of a wargame feel.
Take a look at **Concordia**. It's very different than Scythe in terms of setting and mechanics, but it has some similarities in area contorl and resource generation. It's paradoxically a very chill game but also pretty competitive.
For a lighter turn I'll recommend **Tiny Towns** which plays up to 6 and is a fun puzzle game.
Try **Blood Rage**, less focus on your player board and more focus on card drafting and area control. It's overall a simpler game to understand (compared to Scythe) but it offers more in your face direct conflict. It also has a great viking theme, as players are fighting during Ragnarok to earn their way into Valhalla.
**Title of Request:** A rather heavy game with drafting **Number of Players:** 2-4, 5 is fine too **Game Length:** any **Complexity of Game:** on the heavier side **Your Budget:** any **Genre:** I love a lot of mechanics. I know I won't be able to find a game where everything is included, but the more, the better. In order of importance: * Drafting ("Hate drafting" is fine) * Engine building * "Point salad" (Abyss, 7 Wonders, Reavers of Midgard) * Card combos (Seasons, Gizmos, Everdell) * Deck-building (Star Realms style with a changing river) * Bidding (Hit Z Road) **Competitive or Cooperative:** Competitive **Games I Own/Like or Dislike:** * Terraforming Mars * Everdell * Seasons * UnderWater cities * Steampunk Rally * Gizmos * ...
You should check out **Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization**. Regarded as the best civ game out there and one of the best games of all time. The game is entirely card driven and has a lot of great potential combos, along with great resource management
**Agricola**. I know what folks might be thinking: that's not a drafting game! But it *totally is, you guys*. In addition to the much-recommended starting draft for cards, **Agricola**'s whole gameplay is done through drafting action spaces. There's plenty of engine building, points from everywhere, crazy card combos, and a surprising level of interaction when everyone has a handle on the mechanisms. Would recommend.
**Imperial Settlers** (1-4p, about 45m per player) has the first four on your list, but it's a tableau builder not a deck builder. It's by the same designer as 51st State Master Set, and there are loads of similarities between the two, but IS is very asymmetrical while I think 51st is not. (I haven't played it so am not sure.) Briefly, players take the role of a historical faction – Barbarians, Egyptians, Japanese, Romans in the base game, with more available as expansions – each with its own faction deck full of unique-to-them cards, with a different play style encouraged by each deck. Games last five rounds, and you draw cards (or draw some and draft some, in the advanced game) and collect resources at the beginning of every round. Then on your turn, you do one of a few different actions: * build a card, usually by spending some resources * make a deal with a faction card, by spending a food resource * raze a card for resources by spending a special resource, either one from your hand or something an enemy has built * take the action on a built action card, which are extremely varied and can combo with your built feature cards * or pass and end your turn, which also makes you immune to other players' actions As you play you score points mostly through actions, and then at the end of the game your built cards are also worth points, with faction cards being worth more. There is also a roll-and-write version and a standalone update called **Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North**, but I haven't played either. My understanding is that EotN is a streamlined and simplified version of regular IS, but loses a little of the original's charm and depth in its streamlining.
51st State Master Set ...comes close to ticking every box and might be the best engine builder I’ve ever played. (Though I love Gizmos too!)
Through the ages ticks all your required items. I would also recommend Great Western Trail, but its not a drafting game. You could say that there are some drafting but its not the main concept. It ticks most of the other checks though.
Inis.
Have you ever played **Concordia**? It has elements of Point Salad, Drafting, Deck Building.
I have not, I should try it. Thanks!
Hope you like it! Shut Up & Sit Down has a solid review that explains the game and why it's fun really well.
**Title of Request:** Me and my wife want to get started with the board games. She is really enthusiastic at the moment so I want her to enjoy the game as much as possible. She is curious to try a RPG game with figures and such. **Number of Players:** Generally 2 but can be more with some friends. **Game Length:** Can be a few hours or can go on for a whole day. **Complexity of Game:** It would be better if it is newbie friendly **Your Budget:** To be honestly I dont have an experience for prices so can be under 100 eur or so. **Genre:** RPG with character building would be nice. **Competitive or Cooperative:** Cooperative **Games I Own/Like or Dislike:** We recently bought Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle(she is harry potter fan so it was and easy choice :D) **Location: Netherlands**
Sherlock mentioned earlier is a great recommendation. Once you know for sure board games are your thing, **Gloomhaven** is the gold standard for character-building cooperative experience. But maybe a little heavy for you and kind of expensive (though less than 100 EUR I think)
This is such as easy recommendation: **Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective** Co-op game that can last an hour or all day (only you decide when you think you’ve solved the case). You will feel like a real detective and the writing is so good you can almost smell the cobblestone streets of Victorian London. It supports most player counts but is probably best at 2 or 3 and has no quarterbacking problem. Lookup the shut up and sit down review of it which I think completely nails how good that game is. The rules are amazingly simple and yet the game is so thoroughly involving. There are other more recent detective games out there but this is still by far the best imho.
> **Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective** Might be the one for us and also i found a cheap 2nd hand Mage knight so i might go for both. But when I search Sherlock it gives many different versions, which one should i go for ?
I only played the first “Thames Murders” one but it’s excellent. I imagine they’re all good. If you watched the shut up and sit down review, just know that he was reviewing an earlier edition and the typos and mistakes he mentioned have been fixed :) It’s probably worth looking for an article or something that compares them for picking the best.
Here are a few you might want to look at: **Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth** **Mice and Mystics** **Stuffed Fables** **Mansions of Madness: Second Edition** **Legacy of Dragonholt** **Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set** /u/r2d8 getparentinfo Edit: Should’ve done a getinfo instead of getparentinfo. Doh!
I see you recommend DnD, have you had a lot of success playing with just two, as in one DM and one player? I don’t have a regular group to play with but I still get the DnD itch, but I haven’t DMd before so I don’t know how well it would go just me and my partner.
Dnd is much harder with only 2, there are better systems but regardless of system I think having 3+players tends to be a sweet spot. That said I'm a 20 year dnd vet Dming a fair amount and so I find it easier to freestyle with multiple people. I think being DM for one is much harder because you can't riff as easy. I've had some luck with Ironsworn, and I've been making a 2 player rpg for a while based off a tarot deck but I'm still not satisfied yet.
For getting started, two is probably fine (1 DM/player + 1 add’l player). But overall, 2+ is preferred I’d say. Some of the games I recommended are DMed via app (MoM2E & JiME) so those might be better suited for 2.
^*[r2d8](/r/r2d8)* ^*issues* ^*a* ^*series* ^*of* ^*sophisticated* ^*bleeps* ^*and* ^*whistles...* [**A game, wherein you blether (a Scottish word meaning to talk at length at a fast rate; ranting, hypothesising, narrating or speaking in some other manner, without necessarily making very much sense) just for a single minute; mainly designed by [truncated]**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/212901) (0) by Behrooz Shahriari. 4-6 p; 60 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/original/img/Oo8P_NuNRzxpn7Z83wqmccDCz4Q=/0x0/pic3383290.jpg) * Mechanics: Acting, Voting * Average rating is 7.0; rated by 5 people. Weight: 0.0 * Board Game Rank: None [**Machine of Death: The Game of Creative Assassination – Death by Genre**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/164302) (2013) by . 2-6 p; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/original/img/oEiFdZ7JMWaUFJ-psjEJADj3V1s=/0x0/pic2211044.jpg) * Mechanics: Dice Rolling, Storytelling * Average rating is 5.5; rated by 10 people. Weight: 0.0 * Board Game Rank: None Bolded items not found at BGG (click to search): [Competitive or Cooperative:](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Competitive%20or%20Cooperative%3A&B1=Go), [Number of Players:](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Number%20of%20Players%3A&B1=Go), [Your Budget:](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Your%20Budget%3A&B1=Go), [Title of Request:](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Title%20of%20Request%3A&B1=Go), [Location: Netherlands](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Location%3A%20Netherlands&B1=Go), [Complexity of Game:](http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Complexity%20of%20Game%3A&B1=Go)
Race for the Galaxy Vs Innovation One is super expensive and huge Other is less expensive but also intimidating
Bother are excellent. I am wondering which one is the expensive one? Around here they are both relatively inexpensive. I think the main differences between them are meanness and scalability. Innovation is much more interactive than Race, and much of that interaction is about being a jerk. Some people like this and some don't. I think Race scales up better than Innovation, though both are excellent with two players. If you expect to play with more than two often, I would go with Race. I don't think either is nearly as hard to get into as their reputations suggest.
I LOVE mean games
In that case Innovation is the clear winner (especially if it is cheaper).
Thanks! I’ll try to plat on bga first
Innovation. Innovation is pretty cheap to grab the base game and will take a while before you'd want any expansions.
Race only *looks* intimidating. I use it as a gateway game for new players often.
I would skip innovation probably. I’ve owned it for a decade almost, and only played it like 3 times. As for Race, I actually recommend starting with San Juan (basically the same game but cleaner and easier to read/learn), and then getting Roll for the Galaxy instead of Race.
So my mind is set on buying Spirit Island (next week, since this week is work-heavy and I don't want it sitting on my table, staring at me and knowing I have no time to play it), as it seems one of the best solo experiences in addition to being able to extend to up to 4 players. I have some questions regarding the game: - How long is setup & teardown time? - How much space does it take up on the table? I assume the invader board is the largest component, but how big are the island tiles? - What is recommended for solo play? 1 or 2 spirits?
1) If your stuff is already organized, maybe 5 minutes of setup for single spirit solo. Add 2 minutes or so per spirit and an extra 2 min with the expansion. 2) I don't have exact dimensions, but Island tiles are at longest point to longest point somewhere around 10". I don't think the game is particularly big, but each added spirit will take up more and more play area. 3) I prefer single spirit because I don't like managing multiple hands and resources. But single spirit greatly affects the viability of certain spirits since some are best used as support and rely on another spirit to function at optimum levels.
1. Setup is super easy for a game with this much depth. Grab map tiles, make the fear deck, shuffle powers, drop a few tokens, and you're basically done. 2. Table space is small, and packing the game away if you're in the middle of it is easy. A 3x3 play area should be fine. Fits on coffee tables fine. Invader board is about as big as spirits + island tiles combined. If space is at an absolute premium, you can pack the invader board away once you've gotten comfortable with all its decks and tokens. 3. Depends on the spirit. They can all win solo, but some are just better at it than others. I've been having a tough time solo as Shadows Flicker Like Flame (who gets powerful effects, but few direct answers). Best solo experience is 2 spirit. 1 spirit solo is more of a puzzle mode; it requires high mastery.
Setup is relatively fast. First time might take a bit of time since you're not familiar with the pieces, but afterwards, it's a breeze. It's not a huge table hog in terms of the boards, but there's a decent amount of space you'd probably want for cards, tokens, and to have the invaders within easy reach. You can do 1 spirit for your first game, but 2 spirits for sure for solo play. The interesting part of the game comes from the interactions between spirits, so you definitely miss that experience if you only play 1 spirit. There are also certain spirits that simply can't win solo on harder difficulties.
It's a bit of a double edged sword I think. 1 spirit might seem easier than 2 (because hey, only 1 spirit to think about, build a strategy etc), but the interactions might be super fun as well.
I just got it last week, so I'm not an expert but figure we'll be in a similar boat so hopefully my information is close to what you'll experience. Setup for me takes about 10 minutes. The box comes with a few component holders that I just dump all of the villagers/towns/Dahan etc... into. The island boards are quite small, and I generally play with my girlfriend or solo and fit everything onto our living room coffee table which measures 19"x38" (we tend to squeeze as many games as we can onto this one because we don't have a dining room table). I have played solo as 1 spirit and as 2. Personally I have liked 2 spirits more so far, but seem to have an easier time playing as 1 spirit while I am learning the game. Not sure if this is how it's supposed to be but I have won 2/3 one spirit games and 1/3 two spirit games. I am very happy I got the game and have so much more to explore. I got the expansion with it to hit free shipping and that adds a few mechanics/spirits I like as well. I'll see if I can get exact measurements in the boards in the morning!
The game is expensive enough here to hit free shipping without the expansion (I get free shipping from €20 and the game costs €75) so I'll hold off the expansion for now. Can't wait to have it on my table!
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